If you walk into the dog side of the PAH waiting room on a Wednesday afternoon, don’t be surprised if you are greeted by an assortment of excited dogs. These smiling snouts are all waiting for their adjustments with animal chiropractor Dr. Alison Seely. An adjustment with Dr. Seely may only last a few minutes, but the pain relief and health benefits can last a lifetime. Her patients walk out of their appointments feeling great, and week after week we hear her clients talk about how the adjustments with Dr. Seely increased the quality of life for their fur-famly.
When Dr. Seely told us she had written a book about her exciting life and adventures as an animal chiropractor, we couldn’t think of anyone more qualified to educate people about the benefits of animal chiropractic care. Our team has witnessed firsthand the effect that Dr. Seely has on not only her patients, but the clients that she meets with each week. Her smile and optimistic spirit always lights up our practice, and all of us look forward to the few hours we get to spend with Dr. Seely on Wednesday afternoons.
Dr. Seely has published her first book One Bone at a Time: Tales of an Adventerous Animal Chiropractor, chronicling her journey as a veterinarian, marine biologist and animal chiropractor. Dr. Seely had some time off due to a few unlucky accidents, and while the PAH team, her clients and patients were missing her, she was busy working on something for us all to be proud of.
“I have always aimed to write a book, or books, but imagined it would be an activity for my retirement,” said Dr. Seely. “When I found myself with too much time on my hands, with the enforced time away from work and with one arm confined to a sling, I found it was the perfect opportunity to write, albeit with just one hand slowly pecking away at the iPad.”
Dr. Seely found it rewarding to revisit memories of her first years of animal chiropractic as she filled the pages with her one hand typing. She also enjoyed writing about what it was like learning and growing in her career while being a young mother. As for her time away from work; that made it in the book too.
“It was also wonderfully cathartic to write about my accidents and celebrate being on the healthy end of them,” Dr. Seely said. Dr. Seely has returned to adjusting pets at PAH and has since made a full recovery from her injuries.
Writing a book is rewarding, but for anyone, even someone as optimistic and dedicated as Dr. Seely, there can be some unknowns and challenges. “Writing was much easier than I expected, but everything about publishing was new territory for me,” she said. “I was helped enormously by a friend, Deb, who has published many books, as well as my publisher at Crowe Creations.”
Dr. Seely has had an adventurous career, so it is no surprise that she found it easy to write about. She has so many stories to tell, about working at a zoo, capturing grey seals, running the Boston marathon, racing in ironman competitions and so much more. She has traveled all over the world and has learned so many valuable lessons about life, family and companion animal care. Her insight into animal chiropractic care is extremely valuable to any veterinarian deciding if they want to take the plunge and specialize in this bone cracking profession.
“I would urge them to get certified with a good, thorough program like the one offered in Germany, and I would let them know it is well worth the time and financial investment as it is an enormously rewarding and fun career,” she said, sharing her advice to veterinarians considering a career in animal chiro. As for her budding career as an author, Dr. Seely has some plans for the future. One Bone at a Time will not be the last we see of Dr. Seely’s writing ventures.
“I most definitely have more books wanting to make their appearance. Right now, I am working on a fiction book for teenagers based loosely on the stories I used to weave for my children. It is titled “The Hex Chromosome” and features a teenaged witch.”
One Bone at a Time is available for purchase on Amazon, Amazon Kindle and Kobo. We will also be selling copies here at PAH and will announce their arrival on our Facebook page. PAH will be hosting Dr. Seely for a book signing on October 16, 2019 at 12:00 PM at Pembroke Animal Hospital Pet Learning Centre. Dr. Seely will read an excerpt from her book and we will have copies of One Bone at a Time available for purchase at the event. RSVP to the event is required, please email staceym@pemah.com to RSVP.
The PAH team is so proud of Dr. Seely and would like to congratulate her on her wonderful accomplishment. Writing a book is just another adventure for her to add to her already adventurous life. We look forward to reading her next book- hopefully typed out with two hands.
By Stacey McIntyre-Gonzalez
Stacey is a CSR and Media Coordinator at Pembroke Animal Hospital. She has been working at PAH for almost 5 years. She enjoys hiking with her two mountain dogs Hazel and Keira and nature photography.